On the Trail

By Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Can love blossom in the world of politics?

An accomplished political correspondent, Leni knows the challenges of her job. The week before her wedding, she cancels her bachelorette party to cover a presidential candidate. So, when a local broadcaster asks to pick her brain about the event they just covered, she finds herself tempted to blow him off.

But something about him makes her reconsider. Gorgeous and sexy, he seems sincere in his interest. Until he sees the diamond ring on her finger.

As the pair cover presidential campaign after presidential campaign, they form a long-distance friendship that could become so much more. If they can only find the time.

A heartwarming story of true love and second chances.

"Rusch is a great storyteller."

—RT Book Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: WMG Publishing
• Release date: Nov 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386396451

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

USA Today bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes in almost every genre. Generally, she uses her real name (Rusch) for most of her writing. Under that name, she publishes bestselling science fiction and fantasy, award-winning mysteries, acclaimed mainstream fiction, controversial nonfiction, and the occasional romance. Her novels have made bestseller lists around the world and her short fiction has appeared in eighteen best of the year collections. She has won more than twenty-five awards for her fiction, including the Hugo, Le Prix Imaginales, the Asimov’s Readers Choice award, and the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Choice Award. Publications from The Chicago Tribune to Booklist have included her Kris Nelscott mystery novels in their top-ten-best mystery novels of the year. The Nelscott books have received nominations for almost every award in the mystery field, including the best novel Edgar Award, and the Shamus Award. She writes goofy romance novels as award-winner Kristine Grayson, romantic suspense as Kristine Dexter, and futuristic sf as Kris DeLake.  She also edits. Beginning with work at the innovative publishing company, Pulphouse, followed by her award-winning tenure at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, she took fifteen years off before returning to editing with the original anthology series Fiction River, published by WMG Publishing. She acts as series editor with her husband, writer Dean Wesley Smith, and edits at least two anthologies in the series per year on her own. To keep up with everything she does, go to kriswrites.com and sign up for her newsletter. To track her many pen names and series, see their individual websites (krisnelscott.com, kristinegrayson.com, krisdelake.com, retrievalartist.com, divingintothewreck.com). She lives and occasionally sleeps in Oregon.

Book preview

On the Trail

On the Trail

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

WMG Publishing Inc.

Contents

On the Trail

Newsletter sign-up

Also by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

About the Author

On the Trail

February 10, 2007

Leni wants hot cocoa. Maybe some eggs. Scrambled. Over easy. Whatever the night chef can do.

The restaurant is mostly empty, and badly designed. What architect in his right mind designs huge windows in an Illinois family restaurant that overlooks two intersecting roads and some ranch houses that have seen better days?

She’s opted for a seat away from the windows, in the back corner, underneath a heating duct that blows hot air downward, for what good that will do. Since heat rises.

She’d like to find whoever designed this place and strangle him, but she’s too tired. Her Nokia—her personal cell phone—sits beside the menu, voicemail after voicemail after voicemail stacked up.

Her Blackberry remains in her purse. She’s done working for the day. The week. The month.

Supposedly.

She puts a hand over her face—a chilled hand over her chilled face—and wonders if she can clean up this mess she’s made.

Heya, Hon. The waitress’s voice snaps her out of the self-pity. Whatcha having?

Eggs, bacon, waffles, everything Leni shouldn’t have one week away from her wedding. The dress fits, but it could fit even better.

She orders the worst breakfast available at this time of night. She deserves that much food. After the past three days, she deserves it all.

The waitress taps her pen on the order pad, and promises hot chocolate immediately. With a coffee chaser. Because nothing is keeping Leni awake tonight. Except maybe guilt.

She slides her Nokia into her purse, too, hoping the square black phone doesn’t hit the Blackberry. She’d hate to admit to the bosses back at the network that she cracked one phone with the other.

All the way across the restaurant, the glass door opens, and a man in a long black overcoat enters. He stops at the Please Wait To Be Seated sign, and blows on his hands, even though they’re encased in leather gloves.

Leni recognizes him from TV the night before—local late-night anchor and investigative reporter. He has the square jaw, the matching cheekbones, the sharp brown eyes, and the perfect brown hair that doesn’t seem mussed, even though the wind has come up in the last few hours.

That wind is making its chilly way toward her.